


The Blind Year

by maokitty



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Action/Adventure, Arranged Marriage, Political Thriller, Reader Insert, many oc side characters because you have your own kingdom and household!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:54:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22644451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maokitty/pseuds/maokitty
Summary: You knew it was your responsibility. You had to do it to save your people and your kingdom. It had to happen, so that all of the battle and bloodshed wouldn't be in vain. But what kind of princess would agree to marry a prince with acne scars and chronic fatigue? ...unfortunately, you would.
Relationships: Judal | Judar (Magi)/Reader, Ren Koumei/Reader
Comments: 10
Kudos: 43





	The Blind Year

**Author's Note:**

> I've been thinking about picking this fic up back again, but I know Magi fandom is pretty tiny so I wanted to assess if there's any interest first... Who's into Magi in 2020? Let me know!
> 
> **Important world-building note:** In the Magi manga, it was established that Kou was a small country in the far east that was warring with two other small countries, Kai and Go. Go was the northernmost country, the ruling clan of which I modeled after the Manchu people (in the same way that the Kouga clan is based on the Mongolians).

_"Who shall be my king?"_  
  
Before you was a blue monster, a feathered beast that dwarfed all else. Golden chains and amulets covered his bare chest and abdomen, and in his mammoth, clawed hands was a gilded bow that gleamed in the brilliance of the treasure room, somehow more radiant than any of the coinage in the chamber. The sight immediately stole away any other distracting thoughts: the recent death of your comrade, the sound of his screams as he lost himself to the many-limbed dungeon monsters; the weight of the Northern tribes resting on your shoulders, a terrible mantle to wear; the warm blooming across your abdomen as scarlet slipped through the fingers pressed against your gauze. You had to make an effort to close your mouth and look to your companions. They, too, seemed too stunned to reply, their gazes caught by the black-and-amber eyes glaring down at them.  
  
It was up to you.  
  
You cleared your throat and bowed your head low, the pounding in your heart moving to your head as you prostrated yourself. _I have practiced this many times,_ you reminded yourself, _I have practiced this many times and everything will be fine. Fuck, please let everything be fine._  
  
"Great Djinn Haagenti," you began, the calm front of your voice just barely hiding the tremors of your limbs, "As the first and only princess of the former Go Kingdom, I beg you to choose our First General, Nurhaji, as your King Vessel. With his power and gift in battle, we hope to lead our peoples to freedom from the tyranny of the current Kou reign. This is why we have sought you out." You kept your eyes on the ground, waiting for a reply. Nurhaji needed this power, you thought, if you were to win any battles against the empire.  
  
When no response came, you dared to lift your head and look into the eyes of the monster. Haagenti seemed to be in deep thought, his eyes sweeping the room as his finger came to rest on his chin. "Nurhaji is the one beside you, I suppose. I have been watching him well. He has a great quantity of magoi, and is skilled in battle, but so are you. And you are their leader."  
  
Nurhaji stood. "I am superior to her in battle, Djinn Haagenti. We need all the strength that we can muster for what we are about to attempt. This is what I must do to serve my princess and country. This is the only purpose a traitor like me can have to redeem himself."  
  
You nodded. "He is correct. Djinn Haagenti, I am the daughter of a concubine who was raised as little more than a hunter. The only warfare I know is only what is normally taught to our people. I use a bow, and a sabre sparingly. I have little tactical knowledge. It would do you better to choose Nurhaji, as he is more powerful." You tried to speak eloquently, trying to overcome the alarm in your mind. _I can't be a King Vessel, my god, do not let him choose me. I can't win any battles. I can barely wake up in the morning._  
  
"I am not interested in choosing a _warrior,_ girl." Your eardrums trembled with his voice. "I am interested in a _King_ , a ruler to bring the world to peace. Nurhaji has told me his purpose as a warrior. I shall consider. Now tell me: what is your dream as a ruler? You are the first and only princess, so some day, you will be queen."  
  
"What do I dream of?" You closed your eyes, and on the inside of your lids you saw the imprints of Kou rule, impressions of suffering: little boys, your brethren, in brown shirts being left in the mud; the girls in your village being rounded up in chains, the threatening swords of Kou soldiers touching their fragile skins; elder women being dragged by their arms, their feet kicking as they begged the veiled priests for their lives. You saw taxes that cut into wallets and bellies, the conscription of young men, ethnic Kou tossing golden coin and other spoils of war at the feet of beggars.  
  
You opened your eyes, momentarily forgetting that you were royalty, the figurehead in a traitorous plot.

"I'm a lazy person, and probably a little spiteful, and I hate the idea of war. I'm not a talented diplomat. I'm not a natural leader. I wouldn't make a good queen as I am now." Your fists tightened at your sides. When had your breathing become so unsteady? You tried to still your chest, reign in your heart and stop it from pounding through your ribs. "But I have no choice. I am studying and training hard, Djinn Haagenti, because Kou rule has not been good to our people. I am doing this because I dream of the day when I can destroy this empire.” If you hadn’t lost so much blood, you’d be feeling a rush in your skull, you thought. “Everyone in our kingdom dreams of the same thing: the day when we can kill Emperor Hakutoku and his sons, the ones who've been making us suffer. I want to kill them like they killed my brothers, whom I never had the chance to know. I want to unite this land under a just rule."  
  
Haagenti smiled.  
  
"A little vengeful for my tastes, but you'll do."


End file.
